The Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) is conducting a two day training for grassroot human rights defenders and THRDC Zonal Coordinating Units. The training is designed to enhance participants' skills and capacities in monitoring and reporting human rights violations within their communities. Also, to capacitate the participants on conducting risk assessment and resilience strategies. 

The training is conducted between 8 – 9 May 2025 to more than 70 human rights defenders from across Tanzania’s northern, coastal, eastern, and central zones. The participants work on diverse thematic areas of human rights, including children’s rights, women’s rights, environmental justice, freedom of expression, pastoralist rights, civil rights, good governance, and on rights of persons with disabilities.

In his opening remarks, THRDC National Coordinator, Adv. Onesmo Olengurumwa, underscored the vital role that grassroot human rights defenders play in fostering respect and protection of human rights from the grassroot to the national level.

Adv. Olengurumwa stressed that amongst of the key roles of human rights defenders is to conduct human rights monitoring, documentation and issue human rights situation reports based on each organisations’ thematic area. The situationn report must be issued to the public and to all human rights stakeholders. Situation reports identifies the situation, challenges and contains recommendations for improving the human rights situation in the country. Thus it is important for a human rights defender to be aware on how to conduct  human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting human rights situations based on his or her thematic area. 

This two days’ training reaffirms THRDC’s commitment to supporting human rights defenders and strengthening the human rights working environment in Tanzania.

Issued by

Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC)

May 8, 2025

Arusha, Tanzania